Posts from September 2019

Paul was a man who knew what it was like to experience hardship. In those difficult moments, Paul could, in good conscience, exhort his son in the faith, Timothy, to endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ. In the last few chapters of Acts, we read the story of a plot by the Jews to kill Paul. Made aware of the evil scheme, Paul appealed to Caesar in order to avoid sure death. Taken on a prison boat,…

It seems every so often the news reports tell about a cruise liner that ends up with its passengers stranded without power or food and water out on the open sea. Or, some safety issue ends up with the loss of someone’s life. You may remember the headline back in 2013 when one such ship was left adrift in the Gulf of Mexico. It read, “Carnival Cruise Passengers ‘Blessed’ to Finally Be Home After 5 Days Without Power” after being…

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:28-29 Our daughter Jessica is one of the kindest people I know, and I’m not saying that because I’m her father or because of her Autism.…

In Acts 25, Luke records Paul went before the courts of Festus and Agrippa. We also learn the Jewish religious leaders were pressing charges and asked Festus to condemn Paul. However, Festus refused to do so without cause or without a trial. He even goes as far as to say the accusations were not what he expected. The religious leaders’ accusations were “something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus.” I would not expect that either. Religious matters…

Public enemy number one… A threat to all humanity as we know it… A person who has turned the world upside down… Yet this was Paul, a humble man who was a helpless prisoner of the world’s most extensive empire. Was he really all that dangerous? In Acts 24, the political ruler refused to hear Paul because he knew he himself to be a sinful man. The religious leaders refused to hear Paul because they thought themselves to be righteous…

Our reading today provides an example of how God uses the events of our lives to accomplish his purposes, even when “what we’re going through” at the time often makes no sense to us at all. It’s no secret Paul held a great desire to visit Rome and preach the gospel (Rom. 15:22-24). Yet, no matter how hard he tried, it just never seemed to work out. As we have read in Acts 19:21-22, Paul once again made these same…

Previously at TCC, I have had the privilege of sharing a very personal story about how I learned to walk in forgiveness toward my Dad. It was an extremely difficult thing to do but I knew that was what God was asking of me. I realized it would put me at risk for some to think less of me because of the struggle I had in the process, but I also knew that God could use it tremendously to help…

After we tore ourselves away from them and set sail… – Acts 21:1 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. – Acts 21:5-6 While visiting a tribe in the southwest jungle of Colombia, we found…

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). “…and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19). What comes to mind when you hear the words “To boldly…

In conversations with various people throughout the years, I have been asked if I know some particular person. I most often answer that I do not. But, on some occasions, I have answered that I “know of” them. Usually, that means that while I never have actually met the person, I have learned some things about the person from friends of mine that do know them. I really don’t know the person, and undoubtedly the person in question doesn’t know…